The Consitution provides for a Contest not a Coronation
The election to elect the next President of India is now entering the end game. The contenders Pratibha Patil supported by the UPA, Left combine and Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat supported by the BJP, NDA combine offer a stark choice. The third front UNPA Parties comprising of the Jayalalitha’s AIADMK, Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Mulayam Singh Yadav’s SP continue to sit on the fence.
Offstumped takes a look at the electoral college as the election nears the endgame.
First a note on the website launched by Mr. Arun Jaitley and the booklet titled ‘A compilation of reports and articles appearing in the media about the life and work of Smt. Pratibha Patil’ at BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu’s house. Offstumped is gratified that Mr. Jaitley and other senior BJP members, the Pioneer Editor Chandan Mitra, former personal secretary to Giani Zail Singh, Tarlochan Singh, Sudheendra Kulkarni and Rajkumar Sharma found it valuable to quote from Offstumped on the Least Common Moral Denominator that the Congress is aspiring for in this election. However Offstumped would also like to make it clear that it remains an independent voice of an “aam aadmi” with primary focus on the Indian National Interest. Offstumped is not associated or affiliated in anyway with any political party or platform.
The total electors in the 2007 Presidential Electoral College are 4896 of these 233 are from the Rajya Sabha, 543 from the Lok Sabha and 4120 from the State Assemblies. However as we have been told on many an occassion not all electors are born equal and the value of each vote depends on the population of a given state and the number of seats in that state. The total value of the 776 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha electors is 549408 while the total value of the 4120 state electors is 549474. The winner is also declared in an interesting way based on the total value of the valid votes by dividing it in half and adding 1.
The Congress has been pretty smug about having this election all wrapped up based on the electoral college, the Indian Express reported that the UPA Left Combine has around 5.13 lakh votes while the NDA has 3.54 lakh votes (28,000 of which belong to the Shiv Sena) and the 3rd front about 1.05 lakh votes. In a straight fight on party lines with the 3rd front abstaining Pratibha Patil should be sworn in. However the leader of the Opposition Mr. L.K. Advani in a handwritten appeal to MPs and MLAs has called for a conscience vote opening up the potential for a surprise. The appeal for conscience vote has been criticized by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and Senior Member of Parliament Rishang Keishing calling it “invitation for cross-party voting.” and unethical and unprincipled.
Offstumped Appeal to electors
Through a secret ballot the Constitution provides for a contest and not a coronation. There are those amongst you from the UPA and Left combine who clearly feel voting for Pratibha Patil would be ethically and morally wrong. If you cannot muster your conscience to vote for Shekhawat you could atleast abstain from voting. Your abstention can make a difference and here is how.
It would take only 70 Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha members from the UPA and Left parties to abstain to dent the UPA and Left electoral vote by 50,000 electoral votes.
Are there not atleast 70 of you across the UPA and Left parties who do not see a moral and ethical issue with electing Pratibha Patil ?
It would take just 50 BSP MLAs in UP to abstain to dent her electoral votes by another 10,000
It would take just 50 Congress MLAs in Rajasthan to abstain to dent her electoral votes by another 6,000
It would take just 50 MLAs across NCP and Congress to abstain to dent her electoral votes to another 9,000, there are definitely 50 of you very unhappy with the Pratibha Patil nomination
It would take just 50 DMK MLAs to abstain in Tamil Nadu to dent her electoral vote by another 8,000
It would take just 50 Left front MLAs to abstain in West Bengal to dent her electoral vote by another 7500, there surely are 50 of you whose conscience is troubled by the Pratibha Patil nomination
It would take just 25 Congress MLAs in Karnataka, 25 Congress MLAs in Andhra Pradesh, 25 MLAs from RJD, Congress in Bihar to abstain to close the gap and make this race competitive.
So all we are asking for is 395 of 4896 electoral college voters to abstain to redeem their conscience and to be able to look themselves in the mirror and feel right about their action in this Presidential Election.
Are there not 395 electors with a conscience, Offstumped asks ?
Filed under: Pratibha Patil, Uncategorized
Its such an uphill fight, not because there aren’t more than the required number of MLA/MP’s in the Congress and allies, because they fear for their livelihood if they cross-vote. There is no doubt a section among this group of MLA/MP’s has questioned the quality and reputation of Pratibha Patil, but few will act. Given that it is anonymous voting, the biggest group it could get cross-votes from would be the BSP MLA’s, since they would not face the wrath of Maya Memsaab. Otherwise its tough to think of potential cross-voters aside from the Thakur lobby. I am presuming it would be challenging for MLA’s/MP’s of the abstaining parties to show up at a polling place out of their own will without being noticed.
First. congratulations on being picked up by BJP official report on the corrupt candidate we don’t deserve. Excellent news…
“The appeal for conscience vote has been criticized by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi and Senior Member of Parliament Rishang Keishing calling it “invitation for cross-party voting.†and unethical and unprincipled.”
And proposing a corrupt and unethical candidate for president is not?
I think 70 MPs will most likely cross over. MLAs from various states are more difficult to predict. Also, is your cal based on third front joining NDA?
If it works out, that would be sweet trashing of Smt. Sonia mata.
Do our Members of the electrol college really have a CONSCIENCE to do as they like or are they totaly guided by their mentors? This can only happen when all of them are Educated and are Literates! Most of them are corrupt and are protected by the ruling party as long as they go with it.
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Janpar – Agree with you BSP should be the target given the large numbers and the highest value of each vote.
Chandra – Thanks. My numbers do not assume the UNPA will vote wholesale for Shekhawat. Actually the UNPA formally abstaining is a good thing as it is an unpredictable lot with half its votes easily going the congress way. A win strategy here must be one that does not depend on the UNPA for numbers. Even if Shekhawat doesnt win if there are a good number of conscience votes that would be enough to unravel the axis of evil the UPA Left combine has come to represent.
While the pinpoint calculations are happening on one-side, there must be a way to remove the President even if UPA does succeed in granting the most honored most to an undeserving individual. It will be such a shame on every Indian to be a mere spectator when the highest post of an Indian citizen is given on the basis of personal choice!
Every lawmaker responsible should be punished for bringing this disgrace to our nation.